Kevin Youkilis | Third Baseman

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Kevin Youkilis has retired from baseball.

"Youkilis, after deep thought about family and health, is calling it a career," reads a tweet from the 35-year-old's representatives at Pro Star Management. Youkilis collected 1,053 hits, 150 home runs, and 618 RBI over the course of his 10 major league seasons. He spent 2014 playing for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan. Thu, Oct 30, 2014 02:45:00 PM

Nikkan Sports reports that Kevin Youkilis has signed a contract with Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles.

His agent, Joe Bick, confirmed the report with MLBTradeRumors.com. Youkilis' OPS has dropped for three straight seasons all the way down to .648 in 2013, when he was limited to just 28 games due to injury. Still, it's a bit surprising that no major league team was willing to give him a shot. The 34-year-old is coming off of June back surgery but should be healthy by now. Fri, Dec 20, 2013 02:16:00 PM

The Rays are interested in Kevin Youkilis, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

Youkilis fits what the Rays are looking for as a player on the rebound, Topkin continued. The 34-year-old played in just 28 games this past season, batting .219/.305/.343. Youkilis is said to want to play close to his California home, so it's unclear how open he might be to the Rays' advances. Wed, Dec 11, 2013 09:14:00 PM

Per Jack Curry of the YES Network, Yankees GM Brian Cashman called the agent of Kevin Youkilis to gauge interest, but was told the free agent wants to play near his home in California.

Youkilis suffered from a herniated disk during the 2013 season, eventually undergoing surgery in June. He appeared in only 28 games and mustered a .648 OPS. As Youkilis turns 35 years old in March, he is playing out the back nine of his career and understandably wants to be closer to his family. Tue, Dec 10, 2013 01:32:00 PM

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Nikkan Sports reports that Kevin Youkilis has signed a contract with Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles.

His agent, Joe Bick, confirmed the report with MLBTradeRumors.com. Youkilis' OPS has dropped for three straight seasons all the way down to .648 in 2013, when he was limited to just 28 games due to injury. Still, it's a bit surprising that no major league team was willing to give him a shot. The 34-year-old is coming off of June back surgery but should be healthy by now.

The Rays are interested in Kevin Youkilis, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

Youkilis fits what the Rays are looking for as a player on the rebound, Topkin continued. The 34-year-old played in just 28 games this past season, batting .219/.305/.343. Youkilis is said to want to play close to his California home, so it's unclear how open he might be to the Rays' advances.

Per Jack Curry of the YES Network, Yankees GM Brian Cashman called the agent of Kevin Youkilis to gauge interest, but was told the free agent wants to play near his home in California.

Youkilis suffered from a herniated disk during the 2013 season, eventually undergoing surgery in June. He appeared in only 28 games and mustered a .648 OPS. As Youkilis turns 35 years old in March, he is playing out the back nine of his career and understandably wants to be closer to his family.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that Kevin Youkilis is beginning to draw interest as a "lower cost" corner infield option.

Youkilis was limited to just 28 games with the Yankees this past season due to surgery to repair a bulging disk in his back, but he's interested in continuing his playing career. He turns 35 in March and figures to land somewhere on a one-year deal.

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, free agent Kevin Youkilis would like to continue his playing career in 2014.

Olney also says he expects some clarity on the Youkilis market within the next couple of days. Youkilis, who will be 35 years old on Opening Day, only managed to get into 28 games with the Yankees this season as he was bothered by a bulging disk in his back. He had surgery in June, ending his summer with a career-low .648 OPS.

Kevin Youkilis' (back) agent, Joe Bick, said that there is a "pretty good chance" his client would have been ready to play had the Yankees reached the playoffs.

An impending free agent, Youkilis had surgery in mid-June to repair a herniated disc in his back, but he's apparently back to 100 percent. "He’s fine," said Bick. "Had the Yankees made it to the postseason, there’s a pretty good chance he would’ve been ready to play. He shouldn’t have any issues whatsoever going forward. It’s a normal off-season; just try to figure out where he’s playing." Bick added that he hasn't had any conversations with the Yankees about Youkilis possibly re-signing.

Youkilis was cleared to begin swinging a bat this week and he'll now continue his rehab at the Yankees' spring training complex. Out since mid-June following surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back, Youk is hoping to return for the final week of the season.

It's nice to hear, but he's not close to returning. In fact, when discussing Youkilis and fellow injured players Travis Hafner (shoulder) and Zoilo Almonte (ankle), Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Youk "is probably the least probable of the three" to return. He's been out since mid-June following surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.

Kevin Youkilis (back) said Sunday that he has not ruled out returning to the Yankees this season.

Youkilis underwent surgery in mid-June to repair a herniated disc. "The thing about the back is, there’s no timetables — the surgery, it’s different for everybody in different ways," the veteran third baseman said. "We hope we can play this year but you have to go through all the progressions first and that’s what I’m doing."

Kevin Youkilis has a herniated disc in his back and will undergo surgery to repair it on Thursday.

He is expected to need about 10-12 weeks of rest and rehab, which puts his season in jeopardy. It's another brutal blow to the Yankees, who have been without third baseman Alex Rodriguez (hip) all year. Youkilis was batting .219/.305/.343 with two home runs and eight RBI in 28 games as A-Rod's fill-in at the hot corner.

No word yet on how long he may be sidelined, but since it's a recurring issue, it may be longer than 15 days. It's the same ailment that landed Youkilis on the disabled list at the end of April. He managed to hit just.146/.239/.220 with one RBI and 13 strikeouts in 41 at-bats after returning from the disabled list on May 31.